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Spencer Leniu has been referred to the NRL judiciary over his alleged on-field racial slur to Ezra Mam, after a night of high drama in Las Vegas that included Brisbane and Sydney Roosters players clashing in a hotel corridor.
Leniu was charged over the incident on Sunday, requiring him to front the panel over the allegation.
Players from the Brisbane Broncos and the Sydney Roosters clashed in the corridors of their Las Vegas hotel as the fallout from Leniu's alleged racial slur continued.
Leniu was placed on report late in the Broncos' 20-10 loss at Allegiant Stadium after he was accused of directing a racist remark at Brisbane's Indigenous star Mam.
Leniu tried to dismiss it as "just fun and games on the field" while talking to Triple M after the game, but Broncos coach Kevin Walters said Mam was "pretty upset" after the game and the star five-eighth was "adamant" he heard a racial slur from the Roosters prop.
"We'll leave it with the NRL. They're looking at it," Walters said.
"We certainly support Ezra."
Broncos captain Adam Reynolds said he personally had not heard the slur, but was shocked by the allegation.
"I was well away from it. We support our player. He's pretty upset," he said.
"We certainly don't stand for racism. We'll support Ezra, get around him, make sure he's alright.
"It's never nice to hear any sort of racism, slur or anything. In this day and age you wouldn't think it's still out there. It's a bit of a shock."
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson said in his press conference he had spoken to Samoan Test representative Leniu about the game, but not the allegation yet, but said it was important a process was followed.
"Ezra's adamant? That doesn't mean it's right," Robinson said when told what Walters had said.
"He obviously made the complaint, but that doesn't mean that it's right. It'll go through the formal process as it should."
The incident is being reviewed, with the return from the USA creating some logistical hurdles for the NRL, but tensions between the clubs remain high.
Players exchanged words as they passed each other at the Hilton at Resorts World in Las Vegas after arriving back from the game.
Witnesses told AAP there was no threat of a physical altercation, and Leniu was ushered down the corridor by club staff as words were exchanged.
The teams were sharing the same floor at the hotel.
Reece Walsh reposted a photo of Mam in traditional Torres Strait Islander dress on his Instagram stories, writing: "Got you always my brother."
Indigenous All Stars captain Latrell Mitchell demanded the NRL take action, posting to Instagram: "I stand with you Bala. NRL better deal with this shit."
Under a post about the accusation against Leniu, Mitchell also wrote "Typical!".
Gee said he did not hear the alleged slur himself, and asked Mam if he wanted to make a formal complaint, to which Mam responded: "Yes I do."
When placed on report by Gee, Leniu could be heard saying to the referee, "Why would I say that?" while teammate Lindsay Collins tried to calm him down.
Leniu, who moved from Penrith to the Roosters in the off-season, told Triple M after the match that he was not "worried at all", and that the incident was "just fun and games on the field, that's it".
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AAP